CAMPING

A few weeks ago I went camping with a group of friends, there were 17 of us in total and we had a really good time. Me personally, I am not your avid camper, in fact the last time I think I went camping was when I was in secondary school doing my bronze Duke of Edinburgh award- about 11 years ago. But I was game for it all the same, and to be honest I was really looking forward to it. We went at the end of September, and luckily for us, the weather was actually really nice, which was a bonus. We went to a campsite in Debden, Essex- http://www.debdenhouse.co.uk/ .This campsite is in the middle of Epping Forest; it is set out in different plots, one where you can have campfires, one where you can’t, one for caravans/campervans, one for families etc...

We of course plotted at the campfire site, after all is it really camping without a fire? We stayed from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, we ate BBQ food and snacks, and we drunk lots of alcohol- well to be fair in a big group of 20- 30 year olds, plenty of alcohol was always the plan.

I highly recommend camping to everyone, whether it be families, friends, or partners; camping is cheap, easy and a memorable experience. I know it may not be everyone’s ideal break/holiday, especially for the prim and proper types that cannot possible go anywhere without their electrical appliances, comfortable bed and hot running water, but honestly it is not as bad as many think. Firstly there are clean showers with hot running water and the toilet cabins are pretty decent and clean. Secondly you can now buy inflatable beds to make your sleep pretty comfortable; and thirdly for those who cannot live without their GHD’s, the caravan/campervan sites have electrical connections. Below I have listed items that will hopefully ensure your camping experience goes as smoothly as possible, so whether you endure or enjoy your camping experience it will defiantly be one that you will never forget!

Essential Items

Tents

Sleeping bags

Torch

Wellies

Chairs

Toilet rolls

Throw away BBQ’s (if you haven’t got the skill or patient to rely on the campfire to cook your food)

Warm clothes (even in summer months, gets chilly at night)

Insect repellent (forest=bugs that bite)